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Oct 28, 2014 | 01:24

Obama says focus must be on stopping Ebola "at source"

''We know that the best way to protect Americans, ultimately is going to stop this outbreak at the source,'' President Obama says, reiterating the importance of U.S. assistance in fighting Ebola overseas. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

TRANSCRIPT +

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
President Barack Obama spoke to reporters on Tuesday (October 28) at the White House, shortly after he phoned a team working in West Africa for the U.S. Agency for International Development.
"We know that the best way to protect Americans, ultimately is going to stop this outbreak at the source," said Obama.
He reiterated that only two people have contracted Ebola on American soil so far. Speaking about Dallas nurse Nina Pham who contracted the virus, Obama said "she is doing wonderfully."
"And I just had the chance to get off the phone with Amber Vinson who is on her way back home."
Despite the isolated cases in the U.S., Obama stressed the importance of helping West Africa deal with the Ebola crisis. "We're going to have to stay vigilant and we've got to make sure we're working together," he said. "We have to keep leading the global response. America cannot look like it is shying away because other people are watching what we do."
The U.S. military has isolated soldiers returning from an Ebola response mission in West Africa and Australia imposed a visa ban on the affected countries, policies that critics said would have little benefit but could feed a global panic.
Ebola has killed nearly 5,000 people since March, mostly in West Africa, but nine cases in the United States prompted states such as New York and New Jersey to ignore federal advice and quarantine all health workers returning from the region.
The United Nations criticized the U.S. states' mandatory quarantine imposed on those returning from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

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